Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Invest in a really good knife. Fashion a flat sheath out of the box it comes in. ALWAYS hand wash your knife, dry it with a towel, insert it into the protective sheath, and store safely in a drawer. I learned this years ago from Ed Brown at Tassajara.

Large round sugar cookies decorated with elaborate soccer-themed icing.

Ollalieberry pie made my my Mom, Denny, made with berries we picked in Watsonville.

Disaster: a lattice cornucopia made with a butter pie dough, baked on an improvised foil form. Into the oven, then watch it melt off the form. Tried 4 times, then gave it up. Still think about it and consider trying again (20 years later) - it was my Everest!

Carrot. Berta's recipe from Silver Palate.
Cream Cheese icing, which can later be removed when eating leftover cake for breakfast!

I laughed until I cried!

The "Mi Pueblo" store in Salinas is every bit as delicious, friendly, and well-stocked as your description of SJ and so clean you could eat off the floor. I hear they will add a rotisserie department soon.

About 20 years ago, I attempted a pastry latticework cornucopia that would be served with a pile of berries spilling from it (it was a Martha Stewart recipe). It was a beautiful idea. Once in the oven, the pastry melted off the foil form. I tried it 4 times in a row to no avail. Finally, i just presented the berries in a big bowl. Sigh.

Most recent: a bottle of Ceretto Blange shared with friends atop Sobranes Peak in Big Sur after work last Tuesday. Served with prosciutto, mozzarella, basil, juicy tuscan melon, & Belle Vue olive oil from Carmel Valley. The sun was dropping over the Pacific and life was very very good.